Over 30 countries want into BRICS, and this weekend's Delhi summit could decide who joins next. Here's exactly where Turkey, Azerbaijan and Nigeria stand — and who already walked away.
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More than 30 nations have formally applied or expressed interest in joining BRICS as full members. Expansion is explicitly on the agenda at the September 12–13 New Delhi summit, where a "second batch" of admissions could be decided.
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Turkey formally applied to join BRICS in September 2024. Ahead of the 2026 expansion decision, it has been actively seeking China's support for its bid, positioning itself as the most geopolitically unusual applicant in the queue.
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Azerbaijan's foreign ministry formally announced its BRICS membership application on August 20, 2024, shortly after signaling interest at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana — with China publicly endorsing its bid at the time.
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India's government has called Nigeria a "strategic partner" ahead of BRICS's May 2026 foreign ministers' meeting, positioning it as the leading African candidate for the next expansion round — separate from its existing status as a BRICS partner country.
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Argentina was invited to join in the 2023–24 expansion round but formally declined in late 2023, citing timing and policy direction. Algeria applied to join the New Development Bank in 2023 but later withdrew its separate bid for full BRICS membership.